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Brooklyn Park staff outline $270,000 business fund, $300,000 rental aid and 30-day eviction-notice proposal tied to immigration enforcement impacts
Summary
City staff proposed a three-part economic recovery strategy tied to immigration enforcement impacts: a $270,000 business assistance fund, about $300,000 in rental assistance targeting households below 60% AMI with $1,000 awards, and an ordinance to extend the state's 14-day eviction notice to 30 days; staff will return with details next week.
City staff presented a three-part economic response to local harms tied to recent immigration enforcement and asked the council for direction to advance program details.
Staff framed the strategy into two buckets: financial assistance (business and rental aid) and eviction protections. For business support, the business development coordinator (introduced in the meeting as Salvia Tucker) described a proposed "VP spark" fund totaling $270,000 with tiered awards roughly ranging from low thousands up to about $25,000 for stabilization, recovery and resilience support, plus subsidized technical-assistance cohort programming.
On rental assistance, Housing and Redevelopment Coordinator John Kinara proposed using about $300,000 from the local affordable housing aid within the city’s housing trust to provide targeted awards of roughly $1,000 to impacted residents. Staff said the program would prioritize households with incomes at or below 60 percent of area median income (60% AMI) and would likely rely on property managers to verify applicants’ loss of income or other documentation showing a nexus to immigration enforcement.
For eviction protections, staff (planner Karen Donovan) proposed extending the state’s existing 14-day written notice-before-filing requirement (effective 01/01/2024) to 30 days by local ordinance. Staff said such an ordinance amendment would require two readings and a special council meeting next week for first reading, and stressed the city lacks unilateral authority for an eviction moratorium — that would require state action.
Why it matters: Staff said these programs are intended to bridge an urgent gap for affected businesses and residents until larger funds or philanthropic resources become available. Council members asked staff to refine eligibility criteria that establish an appropriate nexus to immigration enforcement without requiring intrusive citizenship-status questions; staff suggested employer letters, loss-of-income documentation or evidence of business closures tied to detained employees as acceptable proofs.
Next steps: Staff told council they will bring more detailed program criteria and recommended allocations to the EDA and to a special council meeting next week, including an ordinance for the eviction-notice extension. No funding or ordinance was adopted at this meeting; council members signaled general support for advancing all three items for further review.
